With 50 head of bison arriving on Easter Sunday, Brush Meat Processors and its 34 employees are up and running as harvesting operations began at 7 a.m. Monday.

Although the first load arrived from the McEndaffer Cattle Co. feedlot located near Merino, Director of Operations Ace Ward explained the Brush facility will receive bison from five main feed lots in Nebraska, New Mexico, Kansas and South and North Dakota, as well as Canada. Many of those, he added, will come to the plant straight from the ranch.

Ward explained that while the company was "born and raised on bison," the Brush plant also will add beef to its business working in the niche markets of organic, natural and grass-fed livestock.

The facility is starting out with 50 head per day in its first week. "We will grow from there," Ward said.

The average kill weight of a bison is around 1,000 pounds, the director noted, adding that although the hide of bison makes them look larger, they actually are taller and thinner than cattle.

It also takes longer to raise bison, Ward continued, with the first load at 22 months of age. "It's a slow industry," he commented.

The hides will be picked up daily by Southwest Hide Company of Scottsbluff, Neb., he added.

Harvesting done at Brush Meat Processors will involve removing the hide, cleaning the carcass and quartering with the meat to hang for one night before being transported to the Henderson plant for the final processing steps.

In all, it takes only 45 to 50 minutes to process a bison, Ward said.

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Also on hand for the inaugural delivery of bison were plant owners Bob and Lori Dineen of Fort Lupton, who have been involved in the bison business for 28 years, as well as several employees.

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